


Join My Squad

by Spiria



Category: World Trigger
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 22:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7456447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiria/pseuds/Spiria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ninomiya searches the toolbox for dull instruments to add to his burgeoning squad. It starts with Tsuji, the B-rank agent nobody is keen to recruit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Join My Squad

**Tsuji**

"Are there any women at home?" asks Ninomiya. Tsuji shakes his head.

"Our mother passed away four years ago during the first invasion," he says, and the pieces start to fall into place. Tsuji has lacked a female presence for most of his formative years, and that seems to have affected his natural shyness around the opposite gender. He may be a powerful supporter, but few are willing to risk an otherwise excellent defensive companion in the case of a woman being on the opposite team.

Noticing Tsuji's careful choice of words, Ninomiya says, "You have siblings."

"I have two brothers, older and younger. Our father works to support us."

Upon inquiring a little further, Ninomiya learns that Tsuji's father doesn't have an especially lucrative job. They are by no means a poor family, but three children in various adolescent stages have a way of draining finances without meaning to. Ninomiya understands that Tsuji's family is struggling, and that Tsuji intends to shoulder partial responsibility and supplement his father's income.

"Is that why you joined Border?" he asks.

Tsuji nods, reluctantly. "I had heard that Border pays its agents on an individual basis depending on mission performance. The pay I've already received has been helpful to my family."

"Three dependents is too many for one man with a mediocre job," says Ninomiya with no trace of malice. "All right. Tsuji," he slides his hands into his pockets, "join my squad."

"Your squad, Ninomiya-san?"

"I intend to recruit more agents and reach A rank. You'll be my attacker. We'll need to find an operator first, so you'll receive paperwork you need to sign in the near future. As far as the pay goes, that should be more than sufficient for you and your family."

A rank agents, after all, have a salary in addition to the pay scaled to one's individual performance. Understanding this, Tsuji doesn't respond immediately at first. He mulls over the chance opportunity, considering not the invitation but perhaps his luck, before he bows, his entire torso bending as he gives Ninomiya his heartfelt thanks.

**Inukai**

"I saw your duel with that trainee with the Side Effect. Twenty rounds, was it? And you lost more than half of those."

In hindsight, the summary sounds more pathetic than the event had been in the moment. Inukai hadn't completely and utterly lost to Kikuchihara as Ninomiya's words imply; the rounds had always been close, but simple errors had led to crushing defeat more than a dozen times. The fact that each round had been so close fuels Ninomiya's judgment as he confronts the offending trainee outside of the battle room.

"He's an attacker. As a gunner, you shouldn't be allowing him to get close," says Ninomiya. "Your close quarters combat skills are weak. You lose track of your surroundings too easily and create openings that are avoidable."

"You got me there, Ninomiya-san," says Inukai, rubbing the back of his neck. When he asks if Ninomiya has any more tips for him, the latter reminds him that their roles, though similar, are quite different. "Well, what about focus? You said I don't pay attention much."

"You don't pay attention at all. Keep your distance; it will play to your advantage and increase the breadth of your vision."

Satisfied with the blanket advice, Inukai flourishes his gratitude with thick English and spins on his heels to march back into the room, no doubt ready to apply his newly acquired knowledge. Ninomiya counts to two in his head, deliberating on his next action, and ultimately intervenes by saying, "Wait, Inukai. Why did you join Border?"

Inukai turns back around. The same question had pulled a thoughtful look from Tsuji, but Inukai doesn't so much as bat an eyelash. "About that . . . for the same reason as anyone else, I guess. I have two sisters, though, and one of them is always worrying about the Neighbors."

"So you're doing it for her?"

"She's one reason. Apparently, I have a good Trion supply. So if I'm an agent here at Border, both Mikado City and my sister benefit."

"I see." Ninomiya pauses. "Inukai. If you can beat Kikuchihara a dozen times before the end of the enlistment season, I'll consider you for a place on the squad I'm building."

While Tsuji had been humbled by the offer, Inukai expresses himself in the opposite direction. He vows to defeat Kikuchihara twenty times - if not more - and all but leaps into the room while Ninomiya reminds him not to get distracted. The conversation ends on a rather abrupt note as Inukai gives a wave before he reenters battle, apparently unaffected by his twenty-something losses minutes prior.

In the next fight, Inukai goes in and is summarily pummeled by Katori's aggressive advance. At that exact moment, it occurs to Ninomiya that he should have advised Inukai to practice against other gunners first.

**Hatohara**

"What is it, Hatohara?"

She had seen him with Tsuji and Inukai. Hatohara praises his patience and initiative, and Ninomiya narrows his eyes before she finally says that she's glad someone is giving the boys a chance.

"It wasn't out of pity. Tsuji is a skilled supporter; and Inukai may lack awareness, but he learns quickly." Hatohara takes that moment to point out that none of that had been enough to hold onto the eyes of his respective peers, and Ninomiya doesn't disagree with her. At best, Tsuji is still too shy around women, and Inukai has demonstrated that he is average. As far as potential recruits for his future squad go, Ninomiya could have picked better candidates.

Hatohara is more familiar with Tsuji, recalling how he'd been popular as a promising handler for Kogetsu until his humiliating defeat at the hands of a female trainee whose eyes he hadn't been able to meet. Since then he has been relegated to the part of lonely B rank agent after promotion, the stray piece of a puzzle too awkward to fit into preexisting squads.

"It was the same for you, wasn't it? You were a shining example for snipers, but the moment you were put in front of another person, you faltered," says Ninomiya. "By that logic, you're saying that Inukai will be the strongest member of the squad he enters." Hatohara considers this and asks if Ninomiya finds the assessment believable, to which he says, "No. But it's too early to make a lasting judgment."

Either way, Hatohara is immensely thankful that Ninomiya has given their juniors a fighting chance. She invites him to barbecue in the future - her treat - as a token of her gratitude before excusing herself, going with what Ninomiya thinks is a pitiful smile.

 

If nothing else, being subordinate to Azuma has taught Ninomiya that no one is beyond help. A patient mentor whose wisdom has touched a large percentage of the agent base, Azuma is considered a miracle worker. It only makes logical sense for Ninomiya, a member of Azuma Squad, to have inherited a sense of appreciation for the awkward agents who aren't typically sought after by the others, though Kako comments at one point that he seems to be taking it so far. Considering the number of candidates that fall under his criteria, Ninomiya doesn't believe he's being excessive; if anything, he concludes that he has been too picky.

Hatohara tells him about a shy operator over barbecue. She's been looking for someone she considers underappreciated to bring to Ninomiya's attention despite him never having asked. At first, the discovery irks him, but he finds that Hatohara's pick - Hiyami Aki - is someone he probably would have scouted in his own time as the squad operator. He files the girl's name away for later.

The barbecue is thereafter an ordinary affair, full of the smell of meat and background noise - a homely backdrop into which Hatohara appears to revel in and disappear. She doesn't mention the up and coming Ninomiya Squad after recommending Aki; in a fit of irony, Ninomiya catches himself looking at Hatohara more as the hour passes. There are three members, including an operator, yet no one to excel in long range combat. Meanwhile, Hatohara is eating rice and talking about how cute children are.

When it's time for Hatohara to foot the bill, Ninomiya says, "Join my squad."

 

After everything is said and done with Hatohara walked home, Ninomiya realizes that he'll need to talk to Tsuji about half of the squad being female all of a sudden.

**Author's Note:**

> Tsuji presents to Ninomiya as far more sincere than Inukai; he's honest and straightforward, whereas Inukai is full of fluff (and I've got a sneaking suspicion that he has a little bit of a mean girl in him). It makes sense, then, that his reason for joining Border would sound more admirable coming from his mouth. And while no one really talks about Tsuji's incredible flaw of being unable to fight women, much less interact with them unless they're squadmates, I imagine Tsuji recognizes that it is an issue and struggles to "deal with it," which is why Ninomiya's general approach of supplementing weaknesses instead of trying to change what's hardwired into each person works.
> 
> Inukai isn't nearly as incompetent as Ninomiya's assessment implies in the narrative. He's a solid unit, but C rank agents are so restricted by the promotion process that most of his notable skills (an eye for the flow of battle, his knack for playing the balance) wouldn't have surfaced until he was actually in a squad and doing team battles. In the end, I don't think he would have had trouble finding a squad, being so amicable and promising as a gunner; however, he benefits ultimately under the leadership of Ninomiya, which also gives him access to Tsuji's amazing support.
> 
> I have a big Ninomiya problem.
> 
> Anyway, I fudged a lot of details and admittedly started getting lazy considering the hour (I finished writing at 3am and I simultaneously have no and all the regrets), but this was a good way to empty my head of distracting World Trigger content.


End file.
